Bangladeshi high school students voice their concern by asking questions about the subject's value, as well as why women in the field of economics earn less than men and how this can be addressed. These students want to be able to succeed in the future, thus they're showing interest in learning more about the potential of economics as a field.
As a woman studying economics, I often find myself in the middle of discussions on gender equality. That is on the one hand because for economists and the economy, gender equality is a very relevant topic with respect to labour markets or economic growth. On the other hand, as a woman in economics, I am myself part of a field that is highly gendered imbalanced and where women are notoriously underrepresented.
Most often the discourse around being a woman in economics is about the pitfalls. It is about the struggles of being the only woman in the room, figuring out how to raise our voice, battling imposter syndrome, navigating hostile environments, finding a balance of work and family; to name just a few. Yet despite all this, many of us are still appreciative to have found our way to economics. Within the Writing and Editing Team at the Women in Economics Initiative, we are all grateful to be in economics. In the midst of the frequent negative discussions, four of us want to share our anecdotes of why economics.
Throughout the summer of 2021, there were several events which made the impacts and uncertainty of climate change feel pretty certain. Extreme weather such as unprecedented heatwaves across the US and disastrous flooding in both western Germany and China, led to lives lost, businesses shut down, and economic life put on pause. Likewise, the IPCC report released in August 2021 painted a stark picture; climate warming and its consequences are unavoidable. But first, to fight the consequences of climate change, we must acknowledge the role between economics and environmental degradation, and specifically its connection to women in economic life and the economics profession.
Throughout the month of April 2021, the Women in Economics Initiative highlighted the “Gender Data Gap” on its varying platforms of outreach. For anyone who missed it or who is…
We are used to data and numbers being accurate demonstrations of our world. They are clear, hard facts of the issues they are describing. People think of data and statistics as something definitive and clear and tend to be trusting towards it. If someone wants to support an argument it is not rare to support it by statistics and numbers. It gives the verbal argument a more scientific and certain foundation and makes it therefore more trustworthy.
Do women face discrimination in job interviews, for reasons related to their gender? Do men actually earn more, for the same amount and quality of work? Do people face career…
For every man who works full-time, there is a woman who does not because of the many obstacles women face in the workplace. Longstanding cultural norms and workplace expectations have…
The integration of women is one of the most significant changes labour markets have seen in the past century.[1] Still there are distinguishable gender representation gaps in specific types of employment…
On 19 November 2019, we invited individuals interested in gender and economics to join us at the premises of NERA Economic Consulting in Berlin for the 1st Edition of the…